Safety-clasp



H. V. BASLEY.

SAFETY CLASP. APPLICATION men JAN; 27. 1920.

Patented Nov. s, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY V. BASLEY, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEWJEBSEY.

SAFETY-CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed January 27, 1920. Serial No. 354,391.

To all whom it may concern v Be it known that I, HARvEY .B'ASLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersev City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety clasp and is particularly adapted for use in connection with breast pins. bar pins, and the like.

An object of the invention is to prov de a clasp which is easily engaged and disengaged but which will not be likely to become accidentally disengaged.

A. further object is to provide a clasp of such character that a part thereof W1ll serve as a safety holder for the breast pin 1n the event the parts of the clasp should become disengaged.

A further object is to so construct the parts of the clasp that they may be manufactured at small cost.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above. will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and apphcations of principles, constituting the invention, and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Wl'llChjllG to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a perspective view of a breast pin showing the clasp connected therewith constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the parts seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane of line III of v Fig. 2 and being somewhat enlarged.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that seen in Fig. 2 but illustrating a. modification.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the structure seen in Fig. 4.

Fig. .6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view illustrating a further modification, and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner in which the clasp of this invention is effective as a safety holder for the breast pin.

Referring to the drawings for describing in detail the structure which is illustrated therein, the reference character L indicates the body of the breast pin. For convenience of illustration, this is shown as a simple ornamental bar pin. The clasp forming this invention is arranged at the under surface of the body L and consists of a pin portion (it and a post H.

The pin G is pivotally mounted, as at 1, upon a suitable supporting bracket 2 at one end of the body L. The opposite end of the pin is bent over upon itself so as to provide two legs, or portions, 3 and 4. A suitable space 5 is provided between the portions 3 and 4 to receive the post H. The material from which the pin is formed is of such character that the parts 3 and 4 are resilient relative to each other so that they can spring apart sufliciently to allow them to snap over the ball shaped head 6 of the post and to grip with a sufficient degree of tightness upon the reduced neck portion 7 of the post, as clearly seen in Fig.

The post is so placed with respect to the portions 3 and 4 of the pin that the portion of the pin, as 8, which connects the portions 3 and 4 is spaced at considerable distance from the post, thus providing an efficient finger grip portion by which the user may readily snap the portions 3 and 4 into and out of engagement with the neck of the post. Byproperly spacing the portion 8 from the post correct advantage may be taken of the resiliency of the material for providing efficient cooperation between the pin and the head 6. That is to say, that by disposing the portion 8 farther from the post a greater degree of resiliency is provided between the portions 3 and 4 at the points where said portions engage the post than if the part 8 be nearer to the post.

It should be particularly noted that a user, in pressing upon the portion 8 to swing the pin out of engagement with the post, presses with equal force against both the portions 3 and 4, thus causing said portions to readily disengage from the head 6.

On the other hand, if, while the portion of the pin between the bracket 2 and the post, is in engagement with a garment, a pull should be applied to the body L tending to draw the head from between the portions 3 and 4, this pull will be resisted almost solely by the portion 3. Ilheportion 4, having an equal grip with the portion 3 upon the neck 7, will tend to follow the head and will main tain such a firm grip upon the neck portion 7 as to produce a binding action of the portions 3 and): against opposite sides of the head preventing the head from being-withdrawn unless a very severe pull is applied to the post.

Likewise, if the portion of the garment, engaged b the pin between the pivot and the 0st, iso greater thicknessthan the space etWeen the pin and the body L so that there is a constant pressure tending to move the pin out of engagement with the post. This pressure will be applied principally to the )ortion 8, leaving the portion 4 to produce a inding action as just'described.

The extreme end of the portion 4 of the pin is, of course, pointed as at 9.

In use, the pin is connected to a garment byintrodu'cing the point 9 into the garment i and then moving the pin so that a proper part of the garment follows around the portion 8 and moves on to the intermediate portion' 'of the pin between the pivot and the post. 'lhe'post is then snapped down between the portions 3 and 4: and the operation is complete. 1

If two portions of the garment, for instance, the opposite edges of a ladys coat or waist, are to be connected, one portion is threaded on to the pin as just described, and the second portion threaded on likewise, the post being snapped downafter thesecond portion "is properly threaded.

garment after it has become disengaged from the post. By reason of the factthat the body L is connected, and serves as a weight, at the end ofthe pin remote from the hook, the hook will always maintain its engagement with the garment after the post is'disengaged until purposely and carefully re moved, as is suggested by the diagrammatic view Fig. 7. A thief, for instance,in attempting to' snatch the breast pin from the garment, would find that although the post might pull away from the pin, yet the hook would continue to hold upon the garment.

In the modification Figs. 4 and5, the portion 8 of the pin is set up close to the post; so as to have snap'engagement with a neck portion 10 of the post, which faces directly away from the pivot ll In this instance, the resiliency of the metal, of which the entire device is formed, is depended upon for permitting the portion 8 to snap over the head portion 11' of the post and into the neck 10.

;The post in this instance is preferably relatively fiat so that the portions 3 and 4 of the pin have no engagement'with the post.

With the device constructed as shown in this modification, it will be quite impossible to disengage the post from the pin by a pull upon the body L while the portion of the pin intermediate the post and the pivot is held as by being in'engagemen't with a garment. Thepull would only result'in a bowing of the pin and a consequent reduction in the distance between the pivot and the'portio n 8,- causing a tighter grip of the portion 8 against the neck 10. Pressure applied directly to the portions 3 and 4, or to the portion 8, however, would be effective for disengaging the portion 8 from the post. In the modification Fig. 6, the structur is substantially the same as in Figsd and 5, except that in this instance the post is mounted so that the head portion, as 12, thereof, is resiliently supported, thus enabling it to be moved backwardly a suitable distance to free the pin. Any suitable means may be employedfor thus supporting the head, but preferably, as an example, the head is shown to be supported upon a post 13 which is of resilient material. If desired, the head may be formed of this same material, as indicated, it constituting simply a loop of the material. The end portion of thematerial may-be conveniently bent up to provide a finger piece 14 in a position to be conveniently engaged for pressing back the head. The portion 14 is preferably dishood of the head being pressed back'so farw as to injure, or permanently bend, the 'por tion 13 of the post.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all mat-- ter contained in the above description,lor shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin, a post to be engaged by thepin, the pin having a portion of its length bent over upon itself to provide an opening adapted to receive the post, the post having a head there on, the opening being of less width than said head, and said portion of the pin being of resilient material whereby to render the to provide a walls of the opening resilient and adapted to snap over said head.

2. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin, a post to be engaged by the pin, and the pin having its end portion bent over upon itself to provide a hook, the opposite parts of which are spaced away from each other and adapted to receive the post between them.

3. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin, a post to be engaged by the pin, the pin having its end portion bent over upon itself hook, the opposite parts of which are spaced away from each other and adapted to receive the post between them, the post having a head thereon, the hook portion of the pin being of resilient material so that the opposite parts of the hook are resilient relative to each other and are thus adapted to snap over said head.

4. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin, a post to be engaged by the pin, and the pin having a hook formed at its end arranged to interengage with said post.

5. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin, a post to be engaged by the pin, and the pin having a hook at its end including a part disposed to snap into and out of engagement with said post.

6. A clasp of the type indicated comprising a pin, a pivotal support for the pin at one end thereof, the pin comprisinga piece of suitable material pointed at its opposite end, a post to be engaged by the pin, and the pin having its pointed end turned backwardly toward the pivot end to thereby provide a safety hook and to at the same time serve to grip the post between itself and the main portion of the pin.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

D. HnnsHFmLn, L. GrESSFORD HANDY. 

